A Comparative Analysis of Final-Nasal and Associative Construction in the Akuapem Twi in Ghana

Abstract

Akuapem has received a great deal of discussion in Akan phonology. This paper examines a comparative analysis of final-nasal and associative construction in the Akuapem Twi in Ghana. This study adopted a qualitative approach. The study was carried out in the two main districts namely Akuapem North (Okuapeman) and Asuogyaman in the Eastern Region of Ghana. This study focused on the views of the respondents on morpheme-final nasals in Akan and associative construction in Akuapem Twi dialect. The population of the study consisted of speakers of Akuapem Twi in the Eastern Region. The target population therefore was the thirty (30) Akuapem Twi speakers in Akuapem North (Okuapeman) and Asuogyaman. The two districts and the respondents were purposively and conveniently used for the study. The study concluded that, the alveolar nasal consonant /n/ can occur as a final nasal consonant in Akuapem. The study also concluded that, in possessive construction, the associative floating H which floats between the possessor pronoun and the possessed noun (NP2) is realized differently in all the three sub-dialect of Akuapem with the H docking to the toneless nominal prefix in Ofie and Akwamu and to the initial TBU in Kamena while the default assignment assign L to the possessor pronoun in Ofie and Kamena with nouns that has a [+Low] toneless vocalic nominal as it’s prefix. The study recommended that, final-nasal and associative construction in the Akuapem Twi should be emphasized in Ghanaian language curriculum in basic schools in Ghana.